Tucker's grand slam off Bautista leads Astros past Orioles 7-6 (updated)

Among the many impressive accomplishments by the Orioles in 2023 is their handling of a starter who pitched a no-hitter in his previous outing. A trait that didn’t figure to surface twice.

They show no fear of also being on the wrong end of history. And they don’t tolerate any drama.

That last part didn't arrive tonight until the top of the ninth inning, against a closer who hadn't surrendered a run since June 24. Because baseball never lets itself become too predictable.

The Yankees’ Domingo Germán no-hit the Athletics on June 28, faced the Orioles on July 3 and surrendered three runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings. The Astros arrived today for a three-game series and sent Framber Valdez to the mound, a week after he became the first left-hander in franchise history to toss a no-hitter.

Adley Rutschman led off the bottom of the first inning with his 66^th walk to surpass last year’s total, and Ryan Mountcastle drove an 83 mph cutter 472 feet to left-center field, beyond the bullpens, for the longest home run by an Orioles player in the Statcast era.

Rutschman belted a two-run homer in the second inning and the Orioles carried a 6-3 lead into the ninth. They were 61-3 when ahead after the eighth. What could possibly go wrong?

Well, this: Félix Bautista loaded the bases with one out and Kyle Tucker's grand slam gave the Astros a shocking 7-6 win before an announced crowd of 24,761 at Camden Yards.

Grayson Rodriguez recorded his second quality start, but the Orioles fell to 70-43 overall and 25-12 in series openers. Their lead over the second-place Rays is down to two games.

"Honestly, I just think it wasn't my day," Bautista said via interpreter Brandon Quinones. "I did everything same as usual, conducted myself in the same way, gave my best effort out there, and unfortunately it just didn't go my way tonight."

Pinch-hitter Jon Singleton, in his first plate appearance with the Astros in eight years, led off the ninth with a walk and José Altuve dumped a single into left field. Yordan Álvarez singled with one out to load the bases on a drive to the left-center field fence that eluded a leaping Jorge Mateo, and the ninth pitch to Tucker, a 100.4 mph fastball, disappeared into the right field seats.

"I tried to locate it up and in, and unfortunately it just got too much of the middle of the plate," Bautista said. "I just didn't execute that pitch."

"He's not going to be perfect, which he really has been almost the entire season," said manager Brandon Hyde. "Tip your hat there to Álvarez driving that ball off the wall in center, and then Tucker with an incredible at-bat off him, fouling off a ton of pitches, and handling a fastball and hitting it into the seats."

Bautista had gone 14 outings and 17 innings without a run scoring against him. He hadn't allowed more than one earned run in an appearance since Sept. 24, 2022 against the Astros, a span of 49 games and 52 2/3 innings. His other loss was April 1 in Boston after Ryan McKenna's dropped fly ball.

"It happens to everybody," Mountcastle said. "It is what it is. He's a great pitcher and we know what he can do, and he's going to bounce back."

The four runs tied Bautista's career high and raised his ERA from 0.85 to 1.52.

"That's once in a lifetime right there," Rodriguez said. "That's a generational closer, so, for that to happen, it's pretty rare. Definitely not something that's going to keep happening. Kyle Tucker's obviously a good hitter, but that right there's pretty rare."

Hyde already was in a bad mood after first base umpire Edwin Moscoso ejected him in the sixth inning when Jeremy Peña reached on an infield hit. Mountcastle stretched for Gunnar Henderson’s throw, keeping his foot on the bag as he fell to the ground, but Peña was ruled safe.

The Orioles were out of challenges, bringing Hyde out of the dugout to argue.

Hyde turned away from Moscoso but received his fourth ejection this season, leading to a heated exchange. Hyde spiked his cap on the ground and kept moving in front of Moscoso as two other umpires tried to intervene.

"I wanted something," Hyde said. "The guy for me didn't make the call right away, and so obviously there was some confusion. I just wanted him to get some help or something. I got ejected with my back turned. That's what upset me. ... I was asking for some sort of help because it looked like he was confused, and I get thrown out.

"I just didn't think it was necessary to throw me out."

Houston’s Carlos Correa recorded the longest home run at Camden Yards at 474 feet on Aug. 10, 2019, his ball also landing on the concourse area behind the bullpens. Cleveland’s Edwin Encarnación was second at 466 feet on June 20, 2017, reaching the second deck in left field.

Mountcastle wedged in between them while also extending his hitting streak to 10 games. He fell behind 0-2 in the count, fouled off three pitches and almost took the cover off the cutter.

After making contact, Mountcastle took about four steps toward first base while looking into the Orioles’ dugout. The splash zone got busy again on an otherwise dry night.

Three of Mountcastle’s 14 home runs have traveled at least 450 feet. None came close to tonight’s blast.

"I knew I got it pretty good," he said, "and then once it went over the other bullpen, I guess I was a little shocked."

Manny Machado had the longest Orioles home run, per Statcast, at 465 feet on June 2, 2017, with Rick Porcello’s slider slamming off the facing of the second deck.

The Orioles didn’t let up on Valdez.

Ramón Urías tripled with one out in the second, the ball popping out of Tucker’s glove, and he scored after Valdez fielded James McCann’s roller and made a late throw home. Jordan Westburg led off the fourth with a double and scored on McCann’s sacrifice fly for a 6-2 lead.

Urías grounded into a double play to end the sixth inning and exited with left heel discomfort. Adam Frazier, who’s been out with a jammed right thumb, entered the game.

"When he went to run, his bat hit his heel, so he's got like a heel contusion, heel soreness," Hyde said.

Rodriguez allowed two runs and six hits in six innings, with two walks and four strikeouts, and his ERA is down to 5.84. He stranded two runners in the sixth by striking out Martín Maldonado on his 93^rd pitch.

"Started out a little rough, a little wild, but hats off to McCann," Rodriguez said. "He was able to get me locked in and get me through that sixth inning.

"Anytime there's runners on base, especially against that team, that offense, to leave those guys on base, it's a plus."

"It looks like he's throwing a lot more strikes and just getting ahead of guys, and he looks really good," Mountcastle said. "Playing behind him is a lot of fun. Hopefully, he can keep it going and keep pitching well."

The Astros scored twice in the third inning after loading the bases with one out, getting an RBI single from Tucker and sacrifice fly from Yainer Díaz.

Mateo, making his second start in center field, leaped at the fence in the fifth inning to rob Álvarez of at least extra bases. He landed, smiled and received the first of two loud ovations – the other as he ran to the dugout. But he couldn't make the play in the ninth.

"It's a line drive off the center field wall," Hyde said. "It's a tough play for anybody there. He's one of the only guys who gets there with his speed, and it just kind of turned him around a little bit."

Mike Baumann was charged with a run after walking Tucker to lead off the eighth. Peña singled off Yennier Cano with two outs to slice the lead to 6-3.

Rodriguez has opposed the Rangers’ Jacob deGrom, the White Sox’s Dylan Cease, the Tigers Eduardo Rodríguez, the Rays’ Zach Eflin, the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, former Blue Jays All-Star Alek Manoah, the Rangers’ Jon Gray, the Rays’ Shane McClanahan, the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole and the Jays’ Yusei Kikuchi. Of course, he’d match up against Valdez.

Maybe it builds character.

“I think I’ve answered this every five days he’s pitched. I’ll try to come up with something more creative,” Hyde said this afternoon.

“That’s pretty unusual. He’s been facing the ace of a staff almost every time out, but he’s answered the bell wonderfully. I don’t think he really worries who’s pitching for the other team.”

The Orioles don’t have many worries these days. They seemed fine tonight.

Mountcastle made very loud contact and Hyde got very loud with Moscoso. But Bautista's blown save was ear piercing.

"This game already happened," Bautista said, "so immediately the focus is moving on to tomorrow and trying to do the job next time it comes."

* Left-hander John Means is beginning his injury rehab assignment Thursday with Double-A Bowie. The Baysox are in Richmond.

Means and the Orioles are aiming for a return by the beginning of September.

Cedric Mullins singled twice tonight with the Baysox. Jud Fabian hit his ninth home run, and Jackson Holliday singled and walked twice.

Heston Kjerstad hit an inside-the-park homer with Triple-A Norfolk. DL Hall tossed a scoreless inning with one walk and two strikeouts.

Matthew Etzel, the Orioles’ 10^th-round draft pick, moved up from the Florida Complex League to Single-A Delmarva and homered tonight.